Picture this: you’re on your much-anticipated lunch break. You have just enough time to RSVP to that e-vite your friend sent, look up a recipe for the potluck this weekend, and get started on the recommendation letter for your intern.
The only problem? Your next meeting is about to begin, and you haven’t even touched your lunch. Multiply this scenario by a stressful quarter, subtract well-deserved vacation time, and add personal stress, and you have an unproductive, unhappy work life.
Your stress levels are through the roof with no relief in sight. Is this feeling familiar to you?
We put so much emphasis on employee engagement and showing up for our team that it can be easy to forget to show up for ourselves. So, here are five ways to ensure you are looking after yourself at work.
1. Do not allow toxic workplace environments.
Stand up for yourself and your bosses by addressing inappropriate behavior. Similarly, give an opportunity to turn pages with people and start fresh. This is hard work, but important in creating an environment in which you’re happy to go to work.
2. Find your flow and block your schedule.
Find days or time blocks where you’re in deep focus mode or when you’re available for meetings, then set them on your cal. Also, calendar block in advance to ensure you get lunch and other necessary breaks throughout the day. Find a scheduling system that allows you to thrive!
3. Design a fun and productive office space.
Include pictures of people you love that one water bottle that motivates you to drink, letters from friends, artwork, and anything that sparks joy! (Weird tip: Viewing natural images like landscapes lowers stress levels.
4. When you’re out-of-office, truly unplug.
Use that Do Not Disturb function — it’s a lifesaver! Don’t forget to communicate any schedule constraints or boundaries with colleagues.
5. Make work fun!
Communicating with emojis, and gifs, and allowing for little icebreakers breaks down the barriers between our colleagues and will enable us to cultivate a safer and better work environment.
What do you think of these tips? Do you have other ideas for practicing self-care at work? I’d love to know what works for you, so reach out and let me know.
Lee Rubin is CEO and Founder at Confetti, where businesses can discover hundreds of exclusive team building, DE&I, and professional development ideas and instantly book truly memorable experiences for their teams. Lee leads a team of 60 colleagues, while Confetti is loved by 5,000+ companies such as Google, Facebook, Spotify, and many other startups, firms, and agencies.
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